Thanksgiving Day
by boopingsloth
Summary: Everyone has their own holiday traditions, whether it's a loud family celebration or a dignified dinner. But when Team JNPR stays at Beacon for Thanksgiving, they find something new and realize what they have to be grateful for.


Thanksgiving is here… yay? I don't really like the holiday myself, but the food is all that matters… except this time I couldn't even do my thing because when I said I was going to make pumpkin pie cupcakes (we're not sure our convections oven will actually cook _pie_ so that was my alternative) and my sister's just like "I made a cheesecake". Because there apparently can't be two kinds of desserts. Anyway, not really important… I figured I needed happy Team JNPR Thanksgiving stuff… because why not? Happy is always good! (Also, I'm much happier now that I realized I got paid _early_ and I bought my tablet, so that'll be here in about a week and a half… super excited!)

I own nothing, but I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _ **Thanksgiving Day**_

"Nora…" The girl glanced up at the sound of her name, grinning easily at her teammates. Surrounded by piles of brown, orange, and yellow fabrics, Nora beamed cheerfully, waving dangerously with a pair of scissors in her hand.

"Oh, hi Jaune, hi Pyrrha! Did you guys get the cranberry sauce and potatoes?" Nora put down the scissors at the look Pyrrha sent her, not moving from her position on the ground.

"We're lucky team RWBY had extras; it looks deadly outside," Pyrrha noted, sitting down on her bed as Jaune went to give Ren the food supplies. "Nora, I thought you were helping Ren with the turkey…"

"Huh? Wait, you expected Ren to let me anywhere _near_ the food? He doesn't even trust me to carry it without something getting mashed together!" Nora picked up a needle and threaded it with brown thread effortlessly. "So, this is what we've done since we started celebrating together! Ren cooks the turkey, and I _make_ a turkey! See?"

Nora waved at the mass of stuffed animals on her bed, each one some version of a turkey -some worn down with holes and patches, while the newer ones were obviously better made and more sturdy. "I make a new one each year and it joins the others as a memorial to the turkey who sacrificed itself to make a delicious meal for us! And I don't eat until the turkey is finished!"

"Seems… nice?" Pyrrha wasn't very sure about Nora's traditions sometimes, but she knew very well that Nora didn't mean any harm by it. In fact, despite her teasing and continuous pranks, Nora was pretty much harmless.

She just didn't see how making a stuffed turkey was a memorial to an eaten turkey… but she could see how the project would keep Nora -even a younger Nora- out of the kitchen long enough for Ren to finish cooking without her destroying something.

"Mm-hmm! Oh Jaune, did you ask if team RWBY wanted to join us? There's always extra food at Thanksgiving!" Nora started stitching up the side of her turkey, not looking up at her teammates as she spoke -she needed her concentration to be on her creation. "Plus, the more the merrier, right?"

"Team RWBY isn't having dinner together," Jaune sat next to Pyrrha on her bed, not noticing her start turning red. "Weiss is having dinner with her sister, Sun invited Blake, and Yang and Ruby…"

"We're not sure what they were doing," Pyrrha continued, noticing Jaune had turned white thinking about it. "They had a chat going with their father… I'm guessing it had something to do with their traditions."

"Aw, but that's boring!" Nora pouted briefly, but she focused again on her fabric before she made a mistake. "But we'll have fun without them! We have movies and food and good friends! That's all that matters!"

Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other before shaking their heads in amusement. It certainly wouldn't be any Thanksgiving they were used to, but it was better than being alone!

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

"Nora, the food…"

"I'm not done with my turkey!" Nora cut Ren off, staring intently at the last feather she was stitching onto the doll. She was almost there, almost done… And then a cookie appeared in front of her face.

"It's not really eating," Ren explained, knowing their traditions as well as she did. "It's taste testing; these go on the cupcakes."

Nora's eyes narrowed, but she nibbled at the offering carefully. "That's not a cookie."

"Pie dough," Ren explained, handing one to each of their other teammates as well. "We had enough supplies for apple pie, but somehow, our supply of pumpkin had disappeared… so pumpkin pie cupcakes it is."

"But pie isn't complete without pie dough," Nora grinned, expertly tying her thread off before snipping it. "There! Mr. McTurkey is finished!"

 _Mr. McTurkey?_

"Wasn't that the name of the turkey two years ago?"

 _How does Ren remember that?_

"Oh, you're right! Well, they look alike, so it's Mr. McTurkey the Second!" Nora stood up to place the stuffed animal in the center of their table, giggling as Ren went to put the cooked turkey next to it. Jaune grabbed the cranberry sauce -both homemade and canned, thanks to the generosity of their friends- while Pyrrha went for the potatoes. The green beans and rolls came last with Nora, who plopped herself down next to Ren with a bright grin. "Jaune, the recipe for these green beans came from you, right? Look at all the bacon!"

"Yeah, my older… second oldest sister makes them every year," Jaune paused to explain which of his seven sisters made the food. "Everyone makes something every year, but she's the only one who makes the same thing every year. No one complains though, so…"

"F'yere yummy!" Nora mumbled around a mouthful of food, earning herself a laugh from Pyrrha.

"They really are good," Pyrrha actually swallowed her food before complimenting it, smiling over at Jaune. "Did your sister make up the recipe herself?"

"Uh…" Jaune hesitated, looking down at his plate to give himself a moment. "No, I think she found it online. But if you ask her, she'll tell you she made it up herself."

That earned a laugh from the table, Nora the loudest as she nearly knocked herself backwards off the chair. That in turn, earned more laughter from the others, Ren even letting out a rare chuckle in front of the rest of them. "That wasn't funny!"

"No, it really was," Pyrrha chuckled, shaking her head at Nora's antics. "You'd do better eating your food, not jumping around so you end up wearing it."

"Shush!" Nora shoved a mouthful of cranberry sauce in her mouth, humming happily at the taste. "Mmm, no other canned food tastes as good as canned cranberry sauce! It's just the best, and homemade is even better!"

Ren took a bite of his turkey, eyeing his partner to make sure that she didn't end up turning herself over, catching her chair on his foot before she could tip over. "I would appreciate you eating it, not wearing it myself... and there's dessert when the table's cleaned off."

"Dessert!" Nora's eyes widened, digging into her food even quicker than before, effectively silencing herself as she ate.

"The turkey tastes very nice," Pyrrha complimented Ren easily, as refined about her eating as Nora was quick. "I can't think of a time I've had better, really."

"It's not…"

"It's really good," Jaune interrupted before Ren could protest, grinning at Pyrrha, realizing that despite his calm demeanor, Ren was getting embarrassed at the praise. He might have known that he was good, but he didn't need all the praise… but that didn't mean that they weren't going to give it to him. "And the rolls are great! My mom always ends up burning ours!"

"What's Thanksgiving like at your house?" Pyrrha asked quickly, far more quickly than she normally would ask, but she was curious about it. Jaune _rarely_ talked about his family, given how he had snuck into Beacon, but that only made her more interested about them… more interested in _him_ , although she wouldn't tell him.

"Well… loud?" Jaune scratched at his head awkwardly, not sure how to talk about it. He had mentioned his sisters once and very rarely did he talk about them, for fear he'd get homesick or want to quit. "My younger sister -I only have one; the others are older- doesn't really cook, but she always manages this layered-jello for dessert. My older sisters tend to compete, and my one brother-in-law… well, he's more like Cardin than I want for my sister, but she's happy bossing him around. I just sit there and eat mostly -my youngest sister will come over and talk to me though. She's… well, she's a lot like Nora actually."

"Hmm?" Nora blinked, biting into her roll before she could respond, eyes wide as she looked over.

"That must make for interesting conversation," Pyrrha smiled, taking a bite of her cranberry sauce thoughtfully. _It certainly explains how easily Jaune deals with Nora…_

"Yeah, she's not horrible for a little sister," The fondness in Jaune's voice betrayed the harshness of the words. "I'll keep her; if anyone wants an older sister however…"

"Nope!"

"No thanks…"

Pyrrha didn't say anything as Nora and Ren chimed in; as everyone but Jaune knew, she'd have willingly taken on all six older sisters. But given the situation, Jaune couldn't really go home -they didn't need anyone questioning Jaune's admittance to Beacon- and Pyrrha didn't have a celebration at home, so they had all stayed.

It wasn't a complaint, not really. Jaune was the one who missed his family most, but in their time together, it was as if they had a whole second family… one that they were sharing time with now. And in a world that seemed against them -no one needed to talk about the dread of the Vytal Festival- their friendship was definitely something to be thankful for.

They wouldn't admit it -well, maybe Nora would- but if they could only give thanks for one thing… it would most definitely be each other.

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

"Yum! Yum yum yum yum yuuuuuuuuuuuum!" Nora bit into her cupcake, nibbling on her piece of pie dough with a happy hum. "These were a brilliant idea Ren! A pie, but it's a cupcake!"

"Internet," Ren put in the movie, moving to sit on Nora's bed when she patted the spot next to her. "There's great ideas there."

"Ren! Take some credit! It's yummy!" Leaning into Ren, Nora rested her head on his shoulder, pulling a blanket over her legs. "And it's the start of the holidays! I can finally watch my movies!"

At Jaune and Pyrrha's confused looks, Ren explained, "I made Nora promise that Christmas movies were only to be watched after Thanksgiving dessert up until the end of Christmas Day."

She would watch them all year long, multiple times… sometimes multiple times in one day, if he gave her the chance.

"Oh… so, what are we watching?" Jaune hadn't looked at the case, but as the original picture had been removed, it was a moot point; no one could have guessed based off twelve-year old Nora's drawings.

"It's a Wonderful Life! Since you guys don't have a movie-watching tradition, you're stuck with ours!" Nora stuck her tongue out at her friends playfully, curling up closer to Ren with a grin. "Hey Ren, I bet I can remember more lines than you can!"

"Probably." At least he'd never admit to having memorized quite a bit of the movie, even after all these years of watching it.

Nora giggled, pointing at the remote near to Pyrrha. "Hit play, hit play!"

"So… why a Christmas movie? Because Ren lets you start now?" Jaune asked, grabbing his own blanket. His onesie had an… unfortunate accident in the laundry -he suspected Nora- so he made do with fuzzy blankets.

Nora paused, feeling Ren wrap an arm over her shoulder carelessly, the gesture natural enough to be thoughtless. "Ah… it was my mom's favorite movie; we always watched it together after Thanksgiving dinner."

 _Oh…_ It was no secret Nora and Ren had no parents; neither advertised it, but their joined silence on the matter had made it obvious, especially after the Grimm attacks on the school. Awkwardly, Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other, not comfortable with Nora's sudden quiet, something the girl noticed herself.

"Oh, but it was a long time ago, and I have Ren and you guys to watch with! Plus, it's a totally awesome movie! And it's romantic! And sweet and meaningful and it's just awesome so let's hit play already!" Nora babbled, still curled up in her favorite movie-watching position against Ren, pointing at a cupcake in a silent request. "Come on, we watch this, and then you guys get to pick a movie! And when it hits midnight, I can start decorating!"

 _Oh no._

"You'll fall asleep before midnight," Ren pointed out, earning himself a grateful look from his teammates. They definitely did not need Nora up and pulling out decorations while the rest of the school tried to sleep off their turkey-induced comas.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yes."

"Noooooooo!"

Ren raised an eyebrow at Nora before he had to shake his head, her finger poking his nose with a bright grin. "Boop! Now boop the play button Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha smiled easily, reaching forward for the remote. She was odd -they all were actually- but there was no one else she would have wanted for her team. They fit, like no one else ever had, like no one else ever would. There was no one that would have gotten her to take the day off for their celebration, no one else that would convince her to let loose, to be anything other than the perfect warrior… there was nothing and no one else she was so grateful to have found in her life.

What better day to recognize that? What better day for all of Team JNPR to realize how grateful they were for each other?

 _Thank you for this day… thank you for my friends. Thank you for the home I left, and for the home I've made. Thank you for the family I've found that proves blood isn't everything. Thank you for my team._

 _Thank you for every day with these people I've learned to love more than anything else._

 _Thank you._

* * *

You know… this started off happy. Ren was cooking a turkey, and Nora was making a turkey, and there was all this potential for a happy celebration. And then they had to get all serious about being thankful for stuff, and the movie, and oh my goodness, I don't know what happened. I really don't -the story took over. But hey… at least it ended happy! And… family-ish? Not really a romance thing here, but… can't be all ooey-gooey love stuff every time!

Anyway, while this is _not_ my favorite holiday, I know there are people celebrating out there, so Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Make sure to thank the people who have made an impact in your life, eat some turkey (I got myself some ham I'll eat) and have fun! Thanks so much for reading, always feel free to drop a review or PM, and I'll see you guys in the next story!


End file.
